Halo: Exit Strategy
by CrimsonRain989
Summary: The Conflict on Requiem is still escalating as the still the Infinity stays on station to tide the advance of the Rogue Covenant forces.


Halo: Exit Strategy

By

E.H. Rain

**Chapter 1**

Finally it happened after four years seven months and twelve long days they found him. That is the UNSC had found the Spartan-II designated Sierra 117, more commonly known as "Master Chief". Stumbling across one of the only surviving heroes from the Human- Covenant War was something only heard of in fairy tales within the UNSC. It would be in his file that his is the only Spartan to ever have the M.I.A removed from it and returned to active duty status. Some of the Marines that had been present when he was found all said the same thing that he was doing what he did best kicking ass and taking name. Having dealt with the new enemy of humanity the Di'dackt there was no celebration for the Master Chief for he'd lost something, or better put someone.

After the battle he'd lost Cortana, an A.I. construct specifically designed to interface and assist the Master Chief complete missions more effectively. The pairing between them was began back during the preparation for Operation: Red Flag and blossomed into an unbreakable bond till the tragic loss. In the mess hall of the UNSC Infinity he sat there in the corner of it just holding his tray of food. All the Infinity personnel that were present were just staring at him making snide comments at his seemingly helpless state.

One of the Spartans from Team Majestic lend over to a ODST that was sitting across from him and started speaking softly. "Man just look at him how the hell could they compare him to any of us. He's actually over there soaking over losing an A.I. not like he lost his fellow Spartan or anything." One of the other soldiers that had overheard the conversation interrupted them by letting them know that for the Master Chief there wasn't a difference in a living person versus Cortana. But her reply didn't escape the chief's ears and he just looked over at them and left the mess hall.

Slowly walking he found himself in front of the door that they were keeping Dr. Halsey under house arrest. As he approached the door to enter the Spartan - IV assigned to watching her stopped him quickly. "I can't let you go in there chief, I was ordered that she's not to have any unauthorized visitors." After speaking those words and looking at the chief's face he decided that it wouldn't hurt to let him get five minutes. When the door opened Halsey just looked at the chief standing in the doorway and he was frozen if not knowing whether to enter or not. She knew he wasn't there on official UNSC business but more of a personal visit and motioned him that it was okay to enter the room.

The chief got close enough to her and she stood up only for him to kneel down on one knee hanging his head in shame. "Doctor Halsey I know that I'm not someone you probably even what to catch a glimpse of nevertheless be right in front of you. I just...I'm sorry that I failed to keep my promise". Staring down at him for a second hearing his apology she just put her hand on his shoulder and told him to rise. "John you did the best that anyone could of asked you to do in the situation. And second its just Catherine now around here they hardly consider me a doctor; that is after all the classified data about the Spartan-II project was revealed from ONI. I'm looked at as nothing short of a war criminal in the eyes of almost everyone aboard this ship, hell in the UNSC for that matter."

The conversation between the two seemed to be shorter than the five minutes the guard had promised. Outside the door Commander Palmer had stopped by to ask him how was the prisoner doing and all he gave her was a thumbs up. Figuring everything was in order she just kept walking to continue her rounds around the ship. Hearing the guard lightly tap the door Halsey shook the Chief's hand and motioned him to the door. When he exited the room he stood there for a moment looked at the door before walking away. In the moments he's just spent in the room with her the rare display of sympathy that she conveyed didn't make him feel any better in fact it made him feel even worse. Something inside of him started to feel that maybe the other soldiers and Spartans have a point. "Maybe I am in fact the old, outdated, obsolete model of Spartan."

Meanwhile on the bridge of the Infinity, Captain Lasky was going over a tactical briefing with the squad leader of Spartan Team Raven. "I'm going to need your team to recon this area and put down any hostiles you encounter. Sure I don't have to tell you how hot it's been down there on Requiem, and its only getting hotter. ONI isn't really sure how the Covies are getting so many reinforcements to this planet. It's almost like they sent out party invitations and everyone that R.S.V.P is finally showing up a couple groups at a time. I've already sent back word to FleetCom that a couple more ships would be appreciated. They've agreed to send the frigate _Until Mornings Light _and the destroyer _Midnight Summers Dream _to assist."

Tony, Team Raven's Co, looked at the screen and was quick to tell Captain Lasky that it would be just another blow through op for his team. Completely confident in his team's ability to handle the situation he gave the captain and snap salute and head back to the flight deck where his team was already geared up and awaiting his orders. Twenty minutes later they all were jumping out the back of a Pelican guns drawn looking up as the drop ship flew off. The backwash from the engines sprayed them with leaves and green algae from the forest. The five Spartan's armors quickly were changed from the dark blood orange color to a muddy brown and green. One of them didn't hesitate to wipe some of the muck off his visor as the rest kept walking slowly in front of him. Rick the groups' resident Pathfinder took point slicing his way through the thick underbrush of the dense jungle. A light drizzle started pouring as the reached more than halfway to their intended destination.

Making their way through the lush jungle Rick lead the group to a clearing with three trees twisted together. A slight hissing behind them had David the team's rear guard continuously turned around. "Is it just my imagination but does anyone else hear that damn hissing sound." Everyone turned and looked at him just shaking their heads at him and went back to scanning around them. None of them would of been able to know that they were being stalked by a small group of skirmishers. They had been following Team Raven from the time they all stepped foot in the jungle and were coordinating with other covenant forces in the area ahead of the team. When the team reached the location they were sent to investigate there was nothing except for three tall forerunner pillars. David turned around yelling "Dammit we're surrounded!" but he didn't even get a chance to aim his rifle before a shot from a jackal's beam rifle connected with his helmet.

Not wanting to face that David was dead Tony told someone to grab David and pull him out of the crossfire. Joseph laid down cover fire while Vicky grabbed David by his right arm and pulled him behind a tree and removed his helmet. But his eyes were rolled in the back of his head along with a series of large whelps from the beam rifle shot having microwaved his brain. "What the hell is going on I can't see them...where are they?!" Tony looked around at everyone's confusion about not being able to even identify where they were being attacked from. From experience he just ordered Rick to use his turret and spray down the tree while the others tried to find cover. A loud whirling of engines spinning up took away Rick attention on what Tony was telling him and he turned back around. The slowly cracking of active camouflage in front of his sent chills down his spine as the unseen Wraith tank appeared.

The Elite that was sitting in the gunner seat of the Wraith just stared down at Rick with a sinister grin plastered on his alien face. He didn't hesitate to open fire on Rick cutting him down with the plasma turret. Vicky came around from the tree she had been firing from to see Rick lifeless body fall flat in the mud before being crushed as the Wraith drove over it. A deep rage overwhelmed her as she grabbed up the closest jackal that was equipped with a plasma shield and raced towards the Wraith. "No…Vicky don't!" screaming plea fell on deaf ears the tank twirled around and fire one shot from its cannon. It made direct contact with Vicky sending her body flying through the trees coming to rest smoking in a small quicksand bog. Helen the sharpshooter of the team knew that her sniper rifle wouldn't do anything to the tank and looked around for a fuel rod cannon or anything. That small moment of divided attention to her rear two grunts fired their needler's right into her back. Tony didn't know what to do seeing all of his team being torn to shreds.

Behind him another crackle of discharging bended light started to unshroud a large overbearing figure. The hunter used the giant shield that was on his arm and smashed right into Tony his body flew into the tank that was not far and slid down slowly. Blood dripped from parts of his armor as he died not even being able to radio back what was going on there on the ground. On the bridge of the Infinity, Lasky was receiving all different reports from other units engaged with enemy forces on the planet when the A.I. popped up in front of him. "Sir all of Team Raven's IFF signatures have gone offline...and all biometrics are now flatline. What are your orders?"

**Chapter 2**

Lasky could hardly believe his ears as he heard the A.I. repeat what he'd just said. "There's no way what the hell is going on down there? First we lost Castle and now Raven we've got to get to the bottom of what's going down in that sector."

The look of confusion on his face was one not that uncommon by the ship's A.I. Seeing the layout of the mission to take place it was obvious that a straightforward insertion on the target area wasn't even an option. ODST's would've been any opinion only thing was that they still wouldn't know what they were dealing with that a whole five man team of Spartans couldn't handle. Lasky asked the A.I. to ask Commander Palmer to come to the bridge for a briefing on the current situation regarding Team Raven. She was there in mere moments after getting the page to report to the bridge; once there Commander Lasky gave her the news that all of Team Raven's IFF signal were still present on the grid but their vital showed flat line. Her heart sank as those words escaped his lips feeling that she was partial to blam in not taking more notice to reports of the heavy enemy presence in the area.

Soon they both came to the clear understanding that they wouldn't have any other choice but to send in another Spartan team. Palmer stood there trying to think of a team that if nothing else could scan the area and give an accurate assessment of the situation of that area. Suddenly, Infinity's A.I. ran over the rooster of the teams there were conducting training exercises in the V.R. simulator on deck twelve along with the ones down on Requiem. He brought up two different holo displays one for each of them to watch as one had four teams of three in a one flag CTF match. And the other display with only two teams of four in a close quarters combat infiltration exercise. Lasky's eyes were on the left screen watching the CTF while Palmers eyes watched every bit of detail in the teams moments on the right both anxiously awaiting the outcome.

During the CQC exercise Onyx team was completely wiped out except for one moderate level Spartan. S-R989 Rain, Spartan Rank 30, could be seen slowly creeping up against the way of the virtual building up to the corner. On the display in his helmet he just watched as the motion sensor picked up the four blips of Team Sapphire still lurking around their base waiting for him. His thought process was getting trying to neutralize as many of Team Sapphire as possible without using up all his ammo. Either that or get the position and win the match which both at point seemed virtually impossible. Doubt flooded Rain's mind feeling that he was at an all around disadvantage against the opposing team. All he had was a couple of years under his belt as an ODST before enlisting in the Spartan program; while the members of Team Sapphire had already tested their skills as Spartans in actual combat down on Requiem. Which made them the up and coming team to replace Team Castle on the board for forward combat operation with teams Crimson and Majestic.

Moving his wrist something on it clicked up against the side of his leg looking down Rain remembered that he'd been to snag his team leader's arm gauntlet along with her armor upgrade ability. Instantly the plan to get to Sapphire's base started to form in his head as he brought up the holo diagram of the training session. "I know that Christian is going to be on defense when I go for the goal. So he's not my biggest problem its getting rid of Samantha and Tim...mainly Sam. Tim is always volunteering to take point no matter what it is so he's probably here or here. As far as Sam goes...Sam...Sam equals sniper so...she's probably here. No wait that's what she'd do if she was a typical sniper damnit now I don't have a clue." Suddenly Rain stopped mid sentence and started to get a tingling feeling on the back of his neck that something or someone was close to him.

Peaking around the edge of the corner it was Tim, Sapphire's best target acquisitions specialist, he'd gotten impatient and was on the hunt for thing was that Tim was looking all around and hadn't a clue that he was about to walk right next to Rain. Quickly Rain without thinking stuck his rifle out and tripped Tim before pinning him to the ground behind the wall. Exchanging punch for punch the two didn't struggle too long before Rain got pissed off and used his pistol shooting Tim point blank in the head. The two E.M.P rounds shut down Tim's whole suit leaving him immobilized and unconscious on the ground. Rain removed not Tim's helmet figuring he wouldn't be needing it anymore. Using the gauntlet Rain tapped into the helmets user interface network and saw exactly where the off members of Team Sapphire were.

One thing was for sure though that if he'd thought Sam would've been up high he wouldn't of made it ten feet from the wall he was behind. Her IFF tag showed that she wasn't up high but instead positioned right in the middle of the road probably waiting on Tim to return from scouting. Hearing all the stories about Samantha being a "direct approach sniper" from other Spartans that had seen her in action he knew that they weren't just stories anymore they were fact. Rain unplugged the helmet and leaned down putting it back snug onto Tim's head before tinkering with his jet pack. "Sorry to do this to you Tim but I gotta get rid of Sam." Rain turned on his active camouflage and set Tim's jet pack to two hundred percent thrust and held onto it tight.

As soon as they were both airborne flying back towards Sapphire's base Rain could see Sam' lying right in the middle of the street below. Sam look up upon their decend and just watched not realizing that Rain had hitched a ride with her unconscious teammate. Rain figured the plan was working out and she's be completely obvious to him, but Sam could sense something was a miss. Instantly as Rain let go of the pack before Tim's body smacked into the ground Sam's sharp eyes caught a glimpse of his camo flicker from the heat from the pack. Getting up on one she managed to fire off three rounds from her sniper rifle at Rain but it didn't matter he was too close as he fell. In a panic Rain didn't try and raise his rifle to fire he just came crashing down on top of her hitting her in the head with the back of his rifle. There was no hiding his actions now from the two that were left Rain quickly grabbed Sam. "Shit human shield time!" Raising Sam up in front of him so he wouldn't get peppered by all the gunfire that was now being sent his way; he stretched his hand out and took hold of Sam's E.M.P sniper rifle.

Resting it up on Sam's shoulder he took a couple of pop shots with it and managed to nail the overzealous Christian in the chest four times before he fell. Seeing his last and final obstacle Rain had a renewed vigor that victory was so close and yet so far from here he was in the middle of the street. "Come on I'm this close I just can't..." Suddenly the ship's A.I. came on over their helmets communication system letting it be known that only one minute remand before the end of the exercise. Rain knew it was now or never if he planned on trying to actually reaching their base and gripping victory. He knew that if he didn't make a move and time ran out that rule dictated that Team Sapphire would receive the victory for eliminating the majority of the opposing team with maximum efficiency. "Shit it's either lose the match by getting shot, by time, or..." Rain could see the one thing that he'd have to do to win and that was overcome and adapt to his final obstacle, Team Sapphire's leader, Isaac.

A small bright blueish flash landed near Sam's leg Rain just let her fall forward onto the E.M.P grenade. That was his cue and he didn't hesitate to act on it and began running straight foward towards his objective. Rounds from Isaac came whizzing past Rain their sheer proximity to his helmet started making the H.U.D of his visor fuze. At the last minute before needing to reload his own rifle he tossed an E.M.P grenade making it bounce near Isaac. Scrambling to dodge Rain's grenade didn't work the blast radius was enough to partially turn off the power to his legs. Seeing him stumble backwards Rain poured on continuous rounds into his enemies chest plate. Finally reaching Team Sapphire's base Rain came to a halt and stood above Isaac as if a giant towering over a small helpless child. Isaac tried to mumble some words to Rain but he wasn't have any part of that. Instead of him trying to listen he picked up Isaac's battle rifle and fired two three round bursts into his chest. "That's for Onyx...and this ones for me." Ten seconds till the buzzer Rain turned to walk away but tossed another E.M.P grenade onto Issac's chest.

"Exercise completed, Team Onyx is the victor, all Spartans from Teams Onyx and Sapphire report to designated areas for post exercise reports." At the same time the A.I. was speaking the grenade that was on Isaac's chest exploded given him a violent shock on the ground. The members of Rain's team were already in their post exercise designated areas and watched Rain grasp victory. All of them just cheered as he exited the training room and went over to hug him and give their thanks. "Man you damn fool, way to show us all up. But good job man!" Rain's team leader Nathan yelled at him giving Rain a headbutt. Some people on the other hand weren't so happy at his performance namely Commander Palmer. She'd watched the whole thing from the bridge and had rushed down to the War Games training deck to confront Rain personally.

"Spartan 989, Rain attention!" Rain looked up and stepped forward quickly standing at attention awaiting Commander Palmer's words of congratulations but they never came. "Rain what the hell was all of that during the exercise? You've may have one the exercise for your time but look over there at the cost. Samantha's going to be out pending a clean bill of health hopefully since you left her with a concussion. And that's not to mention Tim he's got a broken right arm and four cracked ribs. So humor me and try and explain to me what you were thinking?" She stood there with a harsh look of disgust on her face as she stared at Rain with his helmet still on. He thought about how to respond to her question and then finally felt that he was just going to give her an honest answer. "Ma'am I did what I had to in order to acheive victory, adapt and overcome. That is what they taught me when I was an ODST along with sometimes allies will become enemies." Rain finished his statement and Palmer just kept giving him the evil eyes until she received a page from Captain Lasky to return to the bridge for the other CTF combat exercise had concluded.

Looking at the him Commander Palmer just motioned Rain to follow her to the bridge. It wasn't till they were on the bridge Rain started to think about why she would've wanted him to accompany her there. The thought that maybe she was going to remove him from the Spartan V program and ship him back to the ODST company he'd been transferred from. Commander Palmer and Rain stood at attention seeing that Captain Lasky was in the middle of a comm chat with someone. "Lieutenant Buck I need a sit rep?" Lasky just looked over and gave Rain and Palmer a hands up letting them know to hold on. "Buck here Commander and everything is gold on the ground, my ODST units have cleared a corridor to the insertion point. We'll stay close to the AO just in case the Spartans need a little back up." The hologram of Lieutenant Buck disappeared and upon such Commander Palmer stepped forward giving her opinion of who she'd selected for the second recon team.

The both of them went back and forth with each other not noticing the automated doors to the bridge open as Isaac entered the room. He came up right now to Rain still wearing his armor as well Rain just turned his head quick to look to see if it was him. Issac on the other hand didn't even want to acknowledge that Rain was in the room until he noticed him look over at him out the corner of his eye. "Don't say a word to me man, that was complete bullshit out their earlier." Rain didn't even get a chance to respond before Lasky told them both to approach the tactical layout that stood behind him. As they all gathered around he began to give them the briefing for the mission they'd been chosen for. Then he realized that they were missing a key member of the recon team and looked to Palmer. "Not to worry Captain he's just being refitted with his armor again he should be here..." The automated doors opened up once more this time entered the Master Chief having been refitted with his armor.

"Chief we were just getting to the briefing if you would join us." At first when he stepped up to the tactical display table the eyes or Isaac and Rain transfixed on him. In his armor he stood well over two feet taller than any of the Spartan IV soldiers. Lansky cleared his throat to draw their attention back to the tactical layout holo display.

"Glad they got you back in your armor quick Chief, I was just finishing up the briefing. We'll be dropping all of you in by drop pods, once your mission is completed nearby ODST's will extract you on their way out." Commander Palmer decided to step in and speak but was cut off by the Chief abruptly. All he wanted to know was what the objective of the mission was and what time did they depart for the mission? Each of their individual pods were being outfitted to compensate for Requiem's abnormal gravitational spikes at that very moment. Lasky decided not to question the Chief's ideology and just gave him a salute before dismissing all of them.

Back on the flight deck the Spartans began to climb into their drop pods all but Rain. He held onto both sides of the pod and just stared at the tiny bucket set. Chief looked over to see Rain hesitating to get in his pod and walked over to him. "The longer you stand there isn't going to change that we're dropping in." Leaving it at that he just tapped Rain on his shoulder and walked back over entering into his drop pod. I lump formed in Rain's throat as the anxiety worsened before a hand touched his lower back shoving him forward into his pod. As he repositioned himself to actually sit in the seat he looked out and saw one of the deck crew giving him the thumbs up.

At that point he knew there wasn't anything he could do but go along with the mission. Everyone on board the ship could feel the ship begin to shift it position in orbit and the Spartans knew that it was the time to drop. He was gripping the two handles inside the pod hard enough that they might of broken off if he squeezed any tighter. As the ship finally stopped moving it shot out the drop pod sending them streaking towards the planets surface. All three of the pods landed in the soft orange sand just outside the perimeter the ODST's had cleared for Raven's initial mission.

First out of the pods once their doors popped off was surprisingly Rain, but it wasn't what Isaac and the Chief were expected. He fell out stumbling and ripped off his helmet quickly before "tossing his lunch" in between the sand that was still swirling in the air. "Get it together, Spartan!" Chief told him while motioning for Isaac to take point on them moving to the first designated waypoint. Isaac rushed up to lead the way bumping into Rain still gathering enough energy to get to his feet.


End file.
